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Community Water System · PWS PR0002982

Almirante Sur

Vega Baja, Puerto Rico 00693 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 2,873 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

2,873
People served
153
EPA violations
20
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 153 drinking-water violations at Almirante Sur, 13% of them health-based - below the Puerto Rico per-system average.

153
Total EPA violations on record
13%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
2,873
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Almirante Sur

Almirante Sur is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 2,873 residents in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico (Vega Baja Municipio County) through 1,076 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 153 total violations for this system , of which 20 (13%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 119 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2021.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5), recorded in 8 violations (MCL, health-based). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Puerto Rico, EPA tracks 458 public water systems serving 3,328,141 people, with 164,144 cumulative violations and 34,657 health-based violations on record. About 100% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 358.4 violations. Statewide, 40 of 99 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (40.4%).

Almirante Sur's 153 violations sit below the Puerto Rico average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
2,873
Total Violations
153
Health-Based Violations
20
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
1,076
County
Vega Baja Municipio
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
15
Monitoring Violations
119
Treatment Tech Violations
5

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 8 2021
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 6 2018
E. COLI MR 6 2019
TTHM MCL 6 2020
TTHM MR 6 2018
Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 2016
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 2020
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 3 2003
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 3 2005
Xylenes, Total MR 3 2005
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 3 2005
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 3 2005
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 3 2005
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 3 2005
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 3 2005
Carbon tetrachloride MR 3 2005
Trichloroethylene MR 3 2005
Tetrachloroethylene MR 3 2005
CHLOROBENZENE MR 3 2005
Benzene MR 3 2005
Toluene MR 3 2005
Styrene MR 3 2005
Ethylbenzene MR 3 2005
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 3 2005
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 3 2005
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 3 2005
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 3 2005
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 3 2005
Vinyl chloride MR 3 2005
Selenium MR 2 1984

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records, or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status, go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for Almirante Sur.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS, Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID PR0002982 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Puerto Rico Drinking Water Authority

Puerto Rico's primacy agency administers the Safe Drinking Water Act locally. Search EPA SDWIS for the current state contact, or use the state's public health or environment department portal.

Find PR regulator via EPA SDWIS

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2021 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 8 SDWIS / PR0002982 / 2456
2020 TTHM MCL 6 SDWIS / PR0002982 / 2950
2020 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 SDWIS / PR0002982 / 7000
2020 Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 2 SDWIS / PR0002982 / 0300
2019 E. COLI MR 6 SDWIS / PR0002982 / 3014
2019 Endrin MR 1 SDWIS / PR0002982 / 2005
2019 Methoxychlor MR 1 SDWIS / PR0002982 / 2015
2019 Simazine MR 1 SDWIS / PR0002982 / 2037
2019 LASSO MR 1 SDWIS / PR0002982 / 2051
2019 Heptachlor epoxide MR 1 SDWIS / PR0002982 / 2067
2019 HEXACHLOROBENZENE MR 1 SDWIS / PR0002982 / 2274
2019 Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) MR 1 SDWIS / PR0002982 / 2383
2019 Chlordane MR 1 SDWIS / PR0002982 / 2959
2019 Benzo(a)pyrene MR 1 SDWIS / PR0002982 / 2306
2019 BHC-GAMMA MR 1 SDWIS / PR0002982 / 2010

How Almirante Sur Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric Almirante Sur Puerto Rico avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 153 358.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 20 75.7 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 40.4% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 2,873 7,267 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 458 regulated public water systems in Puerto Rico.

Federal MCL reference, Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Almirante Sur water safe to drink? ▼
Almirante Sur (PWS ID: PR0002982) has 153 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 2,873 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Almirante Sur serve? ▼
Almirante Sur serves 2,873 people in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 1,076 service connections.
What type of violations does Almirante Sur have? ▼
Almirante Sur has 153 total violations: 20 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 119 monitoring/reporting violations, and 5 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Almirante Sur water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Almirante Sur under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Almirante Sur use? ▼
Almirante Sur uses Surface Water as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.
Where does this data come from? ▼
All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This system's figures are rendered directly from EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.